Wednesday, December 07, 2005

Destroy Their Habitat, Then Kill Them

The purpose of the Endangered Species Act (and other similar environmental laws) is to protect wildlife habitat. This seems pretty obvious, but unfortunately some people don't get it.

Too many housing developments are being built right on the edge of a forest. And there are too many dunces moving into these new houses who think they’re still in midtown Manhattan or downtown San Francisco.

They have a hissyfit when deer come into their yards and eat their gardens. They go out jogging or bicycling in the twilight, right when the largest predators are out stalking their prey. Duuuhhhhh!!! Occasionally, one of these urban transplants simultaneously becomes 1. Prey, and 2. a candidate for the Darwin Awards.

Sometimes – due to general incompetence and the right hand not knowing what the left hand is doing – the wildlife has to be hunted and killed.

In Northwestern New Jersey, the Black Bear has been brought back from the edge of extinction. They’re thriving now. Unfortunately most of their habitat has been destroyed, making the black bears appear “too numerous.” Because of their disappearing habitat, they’ve started encroaching into some of the new housing developments (the nerve of them!) and they need to be “thinned out.” The Great Bear Hunt is on!

Some people might think there should be a thinning out of the Yuppies who move out to the country and insist on bringing all their city comforts with them.